Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories , this story comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein . Klein is the author of four books and is a frequent contributor to the History Channel. He’s here to share a story of an unknown Civil War hero. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listen...

On this episode of Our American Stories , we learn about the story of how identical twin brothers—a doctor and a lawyer—collaborated with scores of unsung heroes to modernize emergency medical services, help create the physician assistant profession, help write the model law for organ donation and develop other programs that save thousands of lives every year. Here’s Alfred and Blair Sadler with t...

On this episode of Our American Stories , The Miss America Organization has been around for over a century... but through these many years, the pageant has had to conquer a seemingly constant battle to stay accepted and relevant. Here's Amy Argetsinger , author of " There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America ", with the full, untold story of Miss America. Support the show (https://www.ouram...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Professor Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina tells the life story of First Lady Abigail Adams from his award winning biography  Abigail Adams . Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , George Washington is remembered in our history books, our nation's capital, and the values Americans still esteem today. He can often seem more marble than mortal. Woody Holton brings us the story of Washington wasn't always the man we celebrate today... as well as how he became the hero we know him as. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Daryn Glassbrook of the Mobile Medical Museum tells the story of the iron lung, a device used to keep people with advanced polio alive in the first half of the 20th century. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , we learn how Heinz food products have been a part of American culture for more than a century. Though Heinz Ketchup is one of the most recognized corporate symbols in the world, few people know anything at all about its creator, H.J. Heinz . His hard work, innovation, and obsessive kindness proved one of his favorite sayings: “To do a common thing uncommon...

On this episode of Our American Stories , barcodes, on most products properly called a UPC, or “Universal Product Code,” are now a necessity for everyday life, making it possible for the massive and complex trade networks and supply systems of the modern world to function. The History Guy remembers its humble beginnings. It is history that deserves to be remembered. Support the show (https://www.o...

On this episode of Our American Stories , murder and mayhem ran unchecked in the town of Yankee Hill....things were a mess, and they needed a real life good guy to save them.  Thankfully, Willie Kennard was that man.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , this story itself is the stuff of legends...a sunken steamboat, buried treasure, and the drive of a group of AC repairmen to become "rich beyond rich" even if it meant going into over a million dollars worth of debt. Matt Hawley tells the story of his family's quest to dig up the steamboat Arabia from the middle of a corn field.  Support the show (https://...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Gail Halvorsen , a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much-needed supplies into a war-torn Soviet-blockaded Berlin following WWII. As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of Tempelhof Air Base. Knowing that they ha...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Marilyn Jensen tells the harrowing story of when her father went on a supply run amidst a German bombing. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , John Feinstein is a sportswriter of 42 books, 23 of them New York Times bestsellers. His first book,  A Season on the Brink  (about Indiana coach Bobby Knight), is the bestselling sports book of all time. He is also the friend of Duke University’s legendary basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski (also known as “Coach K”). John is here to tell the story of how C...

On this episode of Our American Stories , this is a story about one of the biggest scandals in college basketball history—along with one of its biggest turnarounds.  Here to tell the story is former Baylor Basketball player Matt Sayman , author of The Leftovers: Baylor, Betrayal, and Beyond. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstori...

On this episode of Our American Stories , the Navy commissioned its newest destroyer and named it after a man who deliberately crash-landed a perfectly good aircraft behind enemy lines. But the man who became the first American serviceman in the Korean War to receive the Medal of Honor—and the man who lent his name to the USS Thomas Hudner had a darn good reason, perhaps the best of reasons. Suppo...

On this episode of Our American Stories , much of what’s known about legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been kept between the goal posts... but not this story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , listener Jaimie Scott tells the whimsical story of an infamous snipe hunt he partook in at Camp Tolochee in Georgia. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , Sue Thomas became the first deaf person to work as an undercover specialist doing lip-reading of suspects for an elite FBI surveillance team. Her story became the basis for the TV series Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. She's here to share her more unbelievable story, the one that Hollywood wouldn't touch! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) S...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Paul from Minnesota moved our listeners with his story, “Wilber and the Empty Nester.” We asked him if he had any more. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , Brett Favre , the legendary NFL quarterback, gets very personal about tough love, telling the truth, and having a parenting style that’s different than his fathers. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , historian extraordinaire Stephen Ambrose tells us a very unlikely World War II story about George McGovern , the liberal, antiwar Democratic presidential candidate from South Dakota who was soundly defeated by President Nixon in the 1972 election. This story is from The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys who Flew the B-24s over Germany. Support the show (https://...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Mark Metcalf is best known for his role as the sadistic ROTC officer Douglas C. Neidermeyer in the 1978 comedy  Animal House . He is also known for playing the role of “The Maestro” on the hit sitcom  Seinfeld  as well as for his recurring role as “The Master” on the television series  Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Mark's life story is as large as the charact...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Sean Pronger always dreamed of being and playing with Wayne Gretzky . Find out what happens when his dream... meets his hangover. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories , “The Nostalgia Awakens" is an exhibit featuring EVERY action figure toy made by Kenner from 1978-1985 based on the original three Star Wars movies. The Star Wars toys on display are from Jarrod Roll , enthusiast and museum curator from Wisconsin, and he's here to share the story of how Star Wars toys revolutionized movie merchandising, licensing, and even...

On this episode of Our American Stories , Mark McCray is the author of  The Best Saturday’s of Our Lives  (his website is  tbsool.com ). He’s here to tell us the story of Saturday Morning Cartoons… and answer the all-important question: What happened to them? Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/...